The Mississippi School for the Deaf (MSD) is responsible for the education of the deaf children of Mississippi between the ages of three and twenty-one. The report sought to determine if the MSD conformed with the law, with accreditation standards, and with generally accepted management and accounting principles.
Administrative inadequacies at the MSD included lack of a standard operating procedures manual, infrequent inspections of the two MSD campuses by the Board of Trustees, and the appointment of the superintendent for a two-year rather than a six-year term. The Committee recommended that these current inadequacies be corrected. In addition, the salary schedule for teachers should be revised, and teachers should be provided with written contracts. The school did not meet accreditation requirements for teacher certification.
Other PEER recommendations were to upgrade the MSD academic program, to alleviate overcrowded or outworn facilities, to improve supplementary programs (such as medical services and recreation), and to include all revenues and expenditures in future budget requests.
For a paper copy of this report, contact PEER by telephone at 601-359-1226 or by e-mail at reports@peer.ms.gov.